We Tried This Malaysian-Made Ice Mould That Makes Aesthetic Ice Cubes Minus The Cloudiness
Is it worth getting?
By Tamara Jayne
Diluted drinks are annoying. Imagine making or ordering your favourite drink and realising, "Oh. The ice has melted and it tastes like water now."
Yuck.
We recently came across this Malaysian startup that created a way for people to make transparent ice cubes that melt slower.
As always, I was curious to see how it works.
It usually takes a lot of effort to make crystal clear ice cubes. You need to use distilled water and boil it until the bubbles come out and blah blah who even has the time for that?
Regular ice cubes that come out of the freezer are usually cloudy or bubbly. Plus, something called 'freezer burn' affects the taste of the drink, making it not as crisp or sharp tasting.
It's also been proven that clear ice melts slower and lasts longer because it doesn't have the impurities that typically cause ice cubes to melt quickly, leaving you with a diluted drink in minutes
To reduce all of that, a local startup called Clear As Ice made this ice mould.
Here's how it works.
It comes in three parts: a black tray, container, and an insulation box.
HOW TO USE
Start off by filling the container with drinking water until it's 2/3 full and place it into the insulation box.
Next, lower the tray into the container until it fits snugly and continue by filling the tray with water as well.
There's a small indicated line at the top of the tray. Fill it until it touches the line and freeze it for 18 to 20 hours.
Once it's done, remove it from the freezer and insulation box, then leave it for four to five minutes. This step is important because it makes it easier to remove the ice and prevent cracking.
Next, remove the tray from the container. It might help to gently knock all sides against a countertop or tabletop to remove it.
To help remove any excess ice at the bottom, I found that running it under tap water or just knocking it off with a spoon will do the trick. The actual ice cubes are inside the tray.
If you've left the tray in the freezer for longer than the recommended hours, just leave it out to 'thaw' a little longer or run it under tap water to loosen it up.
Some things to take note of:
- How long you freeze it for really depends on your freezer's temperature. The first time, it came out perfectly. But during our second round, we tried to remove it before the recommended time and it wasn't fully frozen yet.
- Try to avoid any movement of the ice mould so it can freeze properly.
Push out each compartment and you'll end up with these beautiful crystal clear ice cubes!
Ours came out with minimal bubbles, which can easily be removed if you gently tap the sides of the container before freezing it. This can help knock out any trapped bubbles.
But honestly, once we put it into the drink, it looked completely clear.
Clear As Ice states that you can enjoy up to three standard drinks consecutively with minimal dilution.
To test this out, we left the ice cube in a drink and after 45 minutes, it was still there with little melting.
The Clear Ice Cube Maker costs RM119 in total.
If you're asking why would I need a fancy ice mould at home if I already have a regular ice tray? This was a question I also asked myself when testing it out.
It makes a great gift for anyone who appreciates making drinks at home or serving guests.
Aside from the fact that the drinks didn't dilute as quickly, it did make my whiskey taste smoother overall. It's definitely a nice 'luxury' item for alcohol lovers.
Of course, you can use the ice for any drink your heart desires, be it coffee, smoothie, tea, juice, and etc.
TL;DR: Should I buy it? Yes, if you or someone you know appreciates a good glass of alcohol, or who loves making drinks like coffee and tea, or even for someone who enjoys spoiling their guests.
You can find out more info here.
